Julia M. Gonzales currently serves as vice president of government relations at Amplify, where she leads strategic advocacy for foundational literacy and math K-12 policies and serves as the executive sponsor of the she employee resource group. In this leadership role, Julia supports a mission of empowering colleagues who identify as women by creating a space to build camaraderie and overcome professional barriers. Previously, she served as the executive sponsor of the justice employee resource group at Amplify. Julia is a member and former chair of the hollywood high school teaching career academy advisory board, where she also has served as a student mentor. Previously, she served as the assistant director of federal relations at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was a member of the hispanics for LA opera steering committee.

Julia’s experience in the nation’s capital began as a legislative aide for Representative Dennis Cardoza, where she served as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus liaison and a policy analyst for education and healthcare legislation. Her early career also includes internships with California lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante and Representative Cal Dooley. Following her work in Washington, D.C., she worked for the Fresno County workforce investment board.

An active member of her academic community, Julia mentors students at Pepperdine University and has served as a guest lecturer for the school of public policy. A native of San José, California, Julia currently resides in Fresno. She is an avid runner who has completed several marathons, including those in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Paris, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Julia earned a master’s degree in public policy from Pepperdine University, where she was a Thomas P. Kemp scholar. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology of the family from San José State University, where she was a Ronald E. McNair scholar.